Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch
Social Media Guidelines
Author: D Beadell
Version: 2
Date: 07/05/2017
Review: 07/05/2018
Who do these guidelines apply to?
All Neighbourhood Watch Schemes in Derbyshire that use social networks as part of their work.
Why do we need guidelines for social media?
Social media have become extremely valuable tools for Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch and you’re a key part of that success. An increasing number of Neighbourhood Watch volunteersupdate their profiles regularly on the work they do, helping paint a picture of a vibrant, dynamic organisation that is there for the local community.
Social networks have also proven to be a great way for our people to communicate with each other.
We want to enable everyone to use social media effectively and safely, and to protect you from any potential issues that could arise. These guidelines should empower you to tell your story while maintaining your privacy and freedom of expression.
Using social networks
> Be aware of your privacy settings. Facebook has a variety of privacy options so you can control who sees your posts but they can be more open than you realise. If your updates are shared with friends of friends, for instance, that can be up to 5 million people.
> Your profile on any social network can never be 100% private. Be aware that someone might share your status, re-tweet your picture or re-post a message. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you’ve said!
> Think before you post. Could your message reflect poorly on Neighbourhood Watch in Derbyshire or nationally? Would you be comfortable with your co-ordinators and members seeing it? Could somebody use it to undermine or call into question your position within the organisation? If so, perhaps you shouldn’t post it.
> Everyone has a bad day from time to time and its natural sometimes to vent. Think about how public this might be or the perception it creates.
> Consider how you want to portray yourself. For instance, do you want to use Twitter to talk about your work with Neighbourhood Watch or comment on issues with your volunteer hat on? Have you listed Neighbourhood Watch as your employer in your profile? If so, great, but bear in mind that means you can’t engage in controversial, ideological or political debates. You may want to use a separate account for that.
> Be clear about who you are, include a photo and some info in your bio (especially on Twitter). We won’t always know who you are if you don’t describe your role which means our main accounts may not see your message to us.
> A disclaimer in your profile (like ‘opinions expressed here are personal and don’t represent those of any organisations I represent’) can be useful in reminding people that you’re not an official voice of Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch but that won’t stop a journalist, say, from quoting you as an employee.
> Feel free to correct misperceptions or inaccuracies about Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch but keep your cool and stick to facts. We are a complex organisation. If in doubt, bring it to the attention of the main corporate accounts.
Using social media as part of your role
> Anyone that uses social media for work – i.e., to promote a service, speak officially on topics related to our work, and provide advice – must have permission from the social media team. You can contact the social media team at .
> Do not create ‘dummy’ Facebook accounts for work purposes; this is against Facebook’s terms & conditions and may result in your profile being deleted. You should always use a personal account or ask the social media team if you wish to post on Facebook for work purposes.
> As with all other communications, service users must not be identified unless express written permission is given. Similarly, colleagues may not wish to be quoted or pictured online so seek their permission.
> Do not create separate Facebook Pages, unless you have formal permission from the social media team. You may create open Facebook Groups for the purposes of internal communications – not for external promotion of a service. All external communications should be managed by the Derbyshire NHW social media team in conjunction with Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch Association trust, Derbyshire Constabulary and the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner.
No Derbyshire NHW volunteers can tweet about their work with service users unless they have express permission from both the individual resident, the social media team and Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Trust.
Closed Facebook Groups
Increasingly, volunteerswish to use Facebook as a means for communicating with colleagues. Accordingly, you may create a Facebook Group to share information internally (with other volunteers), so long as the following conditions are met:
> Groups must be ‘closed’ or ‘secret’. This means that they cannot be joined without an invitation and are not open to the public.
> Groups must not use the emblem in their profile image or use ‘Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch’or variations, in the title.
Security clearance is only required by persons who have control over the county social media accounts. You are not required to be vetted to run your local scheme social media accounts.
Non-Derbyshire NHWpersonnel (i.e., service users, members of other organisations, the public) may not join the group or be invited to join the group.
> The social media team or a member of Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Trust must be given access to the group if requested.
The social media team may request closure of the group if necessary. If a group is not closed after such a request, the social media team will contact Facebook/Twitter to close it.
Other media Platforms
Another common way that Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators communicate is by newsletters in local magazines and newspapers. These are very efficient and have a positive impact on local communities as many residents receive the information that is advertised in these.
With this in mind, we ask that anybody who writes these articles on behalf of their scheme to send these in to the social media team for proof reading at least two weeks before the article is to be issued.
Articles should be, clear, consistent and relevant to Neighbourhood Watch matters and should not incite fear, vigilante behaviour or bring the reputation of Neighbourhood Watch into disrepute. Articles must also not advertise anything non-Neighbourhood Watch related including political, religious and offensive. Articles must also not advertise alcohol (and pubs), illicit drug use or advertise local businesses, charities and groups unless we have a working partnership with them. We must also ensure that we are honest and transparent as articles do come to the attention of partner agencies and if there is an issue, you will be held to accountability.
Setting up a social media account for NHW purposes
Anybody that uses social media as part of their role within Neighbourhood Watch should request a permission form from the social media team. This form should be wholly completed and returned before authorisation is made.
Accounts that are already active should also request a form at the earliest opportunity and complete this so that the social media team can track how many accounts we have across the county.
Dealing with inappropriate material
If we feel that any material negatively impacts on the reputation of Neighbourhood Watch, we will take appropriate action against individuals in accordance with the NHWN code of ethics; this can be found on the Ourwatch website by visiting
Derbyshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Trust, Charity No 106471 Page 1